Season ends for Cal women in 40-point loss at Baylor

By Brice Cherry

Updated 11:32 pm, Monday, March 20, 2017

Photo: Rod Aydelotte, Associated Press

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Baylor coach Kim Mulkey reacts to a play against California during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, Monday, March 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Rod Aydelotte) less

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey reacts to a play against California during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, Monday, March 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Rod ... more

Photo: Rod Aydelotte, Associated Press

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California forward Kristine Anigwe, center, is guarded by Baylor forward Dekeiya Cohen, left, and center Kalani Brown during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, Monday, March 20, 2017. less

California forward Kristine Anigwe, center, is guarded by Baylor forward Dekeiya Cohen, left, and center Kalani Brown during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball ... more

Photo: Rod Aydelotte, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Baylor guard Alexis Jones, left, grabs a loose ball next to California forward Kristine Anigwe during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, Monday, March 20, 2017. less

Baylor guard Alexis Jones, left, grabs a loose ball next to California forward Kristine Anigwe during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, ... more

Photo: Rod Aydelotte, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Baylor guard Alexis Prince passes the ball away from California forward Mikayla Cowling during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, Monday, March 20, 2017. less

Baylor guard Alexis Prince passes the ball away from California forward Mikayla Cowling during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Waco, Texas, Monday, ... more

Photo: Rod Aydelotte, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Season ends for Cal women in 40-point loss at Baylor

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WACO, Texas — It felt like an opening for the underdog.

When Baylor’s 6-foot-7 all-conference post Kalani Brown picked up two quick fouls within the game’s first 70 seconds, Cal seemed to catch a break. After all, Brown entered the game as Baylor’s leading scorer on the season, averaging better than 15 points per game.

But Baylor’s depth comes in waves.

The top-seeded Baylor Lady Bears didn’t really miss Brown, who sat for the rest of the first half. Baylor seniors Nina Davis and Alexis Prince made strong contributions and Baylor rolled to an 86-46 win over ninth-seeded Cal in the NCAA’s second round Monday night at Baylor’s Ferrell Center.

“They have six 6-4 players, so I just tried to play them the same way,” Cal center Kristine Anigwe said. “If one came out, another one came in, took her spot and played hard. … They all played kind of the same.”

Baylor (32-3) advances to the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive year. Cal concludes its season with a 20-14 record.

It marked the second time in four seasons that Baylor dispatched Cal from the NCAA tourney, both in Waco. In 2014, second-seeded Baylor knocked out the seventh-seeded Bears 75-56.

Coming off the largest margin of victory in NCAA Tournament history, a 119-30 pummeling of Texas Southern, Baylor wasn’t quite as dominant against Cal. Baylor’s defense still scrambled and recovered with speed and intensity, making Cal work for every shot. The Bears shot 29 percent for the game.

“We had our game plan, we tried to execute it the best we could,” Cal senior Courtney Range said. “Obviously, today it wasn’t in our favor, but if they get another shot at them again, they’ll know what to do.”

Anigwe turned in another fine performance for Cal, delivering 20 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes, but she also had a game-high 11 turnovers.

No other Cal player scored more than eight.

With Brown taking a seat after those two rapid-fire fouls, Cal connected on its first three shots from the floor in the early stages of the game. The Bears took a 7-6 lead at the 7:07 mark of the opening quarter when Penina Davidson delivered a nifty pass in traffic to Anigwe for a point-blank bucket.

Baylor found its groove thereafter, answering with a 9-0 run that culminated with an Alexis Jones bucket in transition.

Cal finally put the brakes to that surge with a 15-foot jumper from backup center CJ West, and a Mikayla Cowling three-pointer helped Cal trim Baylor’s lead to 17-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Cal trailed by just six a minute into the second quarter, then Baylor ripped off a momentum-stealing 13-0 run. That burst was highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from freshman guard Natalie Chou.

The run helped Baylor carry a 40-20 lead into the halftime break. The Lady Bears scored 12 of the first 16 points in the second half and stretched the gap to 40 by the end.

“I think it was a huge step for us to get here, and not just to prove to people that we belonged in the tournament,” Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

Brice Cherry is a freelance writer.

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